Troops to stay in Bara: Malik

ISLAMABAD - Advisor to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik Thursday said that the security agencies had recovered poisonous injection along with arms and explosive material during a raid in Hangu. Talking to media persons here at Secretariat building, he said Hangu Police intercepted a vehicle, intended to be a police vehicle, and arrested a Taliban commander Rafiuddin and his four companions and recovered a poisonous injection, arms and explosive material from them. "We have been recovering explosive material, arms and ammunition from the criminals but recovering the poisonous injection is a new thing for us and it shows the criminal intentions of the arrested persons," Rehman stated. Giving the details, he said cronies of the Taliban leader besieged the Hangu Police Station but, later, due to army's intervention Taliban fled from there after captivating some security personnel. He claimed that the arrest of Rafiuddin with his four companions was a great success of the police and security agencies. He said the Interior Ministry didn't believe in the haphazard bombing and all the operations had been carried out after the solid information, which were successful. Talking about the FATA operation, he said it was carried out on the request of NWFP Chief Minister. He added that operation of Bara was launched on the proposal of Political Agents in which 12 centres of Mangal Bagh and Maulvi Mehboob were destroyed. "Security agencies have arrested about 100 persons from the Bara and most of them were very active in criminal activities," Rehman said, adding that security forces would not be called back from Bara and would take action against Mangal Bagh. He said the situation of law and order in Peshawar was getting worse and DCO Kohistan had written a letter in which it was suggested for the female citizens not to come out of their homes without veil. In such conditions, he added, it was compulsory to carry out an operation in the surroundings of Peshawar. He informed that Afridi tribes of Bara tehsil had given an undertaking to the government that they would keep Bara peaceful while some of the salient features of the undertaking were that no incursion would be made in district Peshawar and other settled areas adjacent to Bara sub-division and foreigners present in Bara sub-division, if any, would leave Pakistan. "No training camp will be established. In case any information about the training camps, suicide centres is received, the Political Administration will call the concerned tribe for verification and necessary action. After verification if concerned tribe fails to take action, the government reserves the right to act according to the FCR and Riwaj," states the undertaking. Rehman said in order to ensure the implementation of the undertaking, a surety, fine of 30 million rupees had been fixed in accordance with tribal traditions and all Maliks or tribal elders would be responsible for implementing that undertaking in letter and spirit in their respective areas. He said he was quite hopeful that the government would be successful in bringing peace in the tribal areas of the country. Talking about the lawyers' rally he said the government firmly believed in the freedom of expression and protests and demonstrations were democratic rights of people. He added that lawyers, some workers of PTI and members of civil society numbering about 300 held a protest rally on Constitutional Avenue and dispersed peacefully. To a question, he said Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sherry Rehman and Speaker National Assembly Fehmida Mirza had received threats from the militants so the ministry had provided them security. Talking about the Karachi blasts, he said they were planned to start linguistic riots in Karachi. "However the investigations were underway and JIT had collected some important clues from the vehicle and motorbike used in the blasts.